Fried Rice

I am assuming that if you are cooking Chinese you will be with friends and will need rice for more than one person

• Approximately 4oz rice
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1oz blanched almonds or cashew nuts
• 2 spring onions finely chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Pinch of salt

1. Boil the rice then place in a separate dish and allow to cool
2. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan 
3. Beat the eggs and salt together and add to the oil in the pan stirring all the time, until it is half cooked (slightly runny)
4. Add the rice to the mixture, breaking up any lumps, coat all the grains in the egg, stirring quickly.
5. Add the spring onions and nuts
6. Sprinkle the soy sauce over the mixture 
7. Fry for 3 - 4 minutes stirring constantly

Serve in a warm dish

As it is Chinese New Year . . .

This year Chinese New Year falls on January 31 so I have added this recipe for Chinese Pork, which is a dish I often cook when I have some cold pork leftover from the Sunday roast, but you can do it by dicing a pork loin chop and frying it off in the pan before add the rest of the ingredients.

The specified vegetables are not crucial, you can substitute whatever you have to hand and you don't have to add bean sprouts, but they make it so much better.

• 2 tbsps oil
• Cold Roast Pork - roughly cut into bite sized pieces    (or a couple of pork chops, diced and fried in the oil for a couple of minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside for later use)
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar ( you could use white, but I don't put any in)
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree (you could use ketchup but if you do, definitely omit the sugar)
• 4oz bean sprouts
• 2oz skinned almonds (not vital but I prefer to substitute cashews)
• 1 carrot cut into thin sticks
• 1 large leek, sliced or a large onion sliced into strips
• 2 sliced or chopped mushrooms
• 1 apple, sliced
• Juice of half a lemon (or a few splashes of  bottled lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ pint of chicken stock 

You could substitute or add sliced, deseeded bell peppers,  fine green beans, broccoli (cut close to the floret leaving off the stalk) or anything else you wish to. 

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat
2. Add the densest vegetables first (carrots, broccoli etc)  and fry - stirring all the time
3. Add the rest of the vegetables, keep stirring
4. Add the meat
5. Finally add the ketchup, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar if using, and stock, 
6. Simmer for no more than 5 minutes.

Serve with rice or noodles